Viaduct Impasse Validates Our Much-Maligned Vote for Rossi

Well, Eugene, you've just perfectly encapsulated the attitude that stops anything from getting done around here.

If anyone tries to make a decision, or exercise any of the power the voters have given them, they get compared to Mussolini. Wonderful.

Well, someone has no knowledge of politics. Since when has a governor in this state been able to bully people into accepting anything?

Were Dino governor, he and Frank Chopp would have cut a deal to build a new viaduct, and Seattle would have sued. Dino couldn't have stopped that. So we'd be in court instead of at least being able to vote.

Meanwhile we'd have a socially conservative governor telling people that sex ed is evil, global warming is a lie, and the earth is 6000 years old.

All so you can have someone make the trains run on time.

My god, Seattle is full of some truly stupid people. And some of them even have blogs!

Yes, Jamie, but then she said that she wouldn't ignore the results of the vote instead of saying "The state will not fund a tunnel, so unless you want to raise your own property taxes about 50%, or have a toll road, you're going to get an elevated expressway. Save yourself a stamp and don't bother with the stupid special election."

Seth: Gregoire rejected the original tunnel plan, which was still being pushed by a misguided Nickels. She also gave a deadline for Seattle's decision.

DJ: Kind of makes you miss the days of King George, huh? (not Bush)

MvB: It is a symbolic issue, but it's a very important one. This will decide whether Seattle wants to follow the world trend of paying attention to global warming, energy security, and urban planning, or whether Seattle wants to be Dallas Jr and invest in sprawl over everything else.

Actually, I think this kinda points out where the problem with the Viaduct lies. It's too damn emotionally symbolic. When deciding how to fix 2 freaking miles of roadway becomes an issue big enough to decide who should be governor, we're getting a little too close to the microscope.

And Lewis Lapham rulz!

josh, Dino would have just flat-out said "no" to the tunnel. You might not have agreed with him, but at least he would have stepped up and made a decision. And taken the heat (or the plaudits) for his leadership.

It's called accountability. Something that's hard to do when one-party runs the show.

What decision has she made, period?

Here's the "clusterfuck" you're talking about:

1) Greg Nickels wants a tunnel.

2) Gregoire says there's no money for your tunnel, please advise what you want to do with this federal money.

3) City council and mayor disagree about what to do with the money; asks public for advisory vote.

4) A decision is made, based on what the public, mayor, city council, legislature, and governor think.

Isn't that a good process? Billions of dollars are being spent here and all interests should be taken into consideration. Here's what would likely happen with Dino Rossi as our governor:

1) Mayor of Seattle wants a tunnel; city council is divided.

2) Nobody knows what the public wants.

3) Rossi laughs and makes Seattle build a new viaduct no matter what; gives billion dollar contracts to former frat brothers.

The examples you cited with an executive of a different party than the legislature (Guiliani, Schwarzenegger) worked because these individuals were exceptional in their leadership and ideas (not that I necessarily agree with them). They don't mindlessly follow the party line and make enemies with both parties. That's vastly different than Dino Rossi, who might as well be Dick Cheney Jr.

I'm not sure that any of those "Republicans" are really in the same league as Dino Rossi. What decision to you think he'd make that she hasn't?

whao, someone read lewis lapham? are you still breathing?

Thank god someone in Seattle finally said this.

If Republican's ran state, city, and county politics as completely as the Democrat's do now, I'd venture to guess we'd be seeing the exact same clusterfuck. One party politics anywhere simply does not work.

Because this city votes almost entirely for the donkey in Federal elections (which they're certainly entitled to) they do the same locally and we end up with Nick Licate and Jean Godden involved in billion dollar decisions, neither of whom I'd trust to purchase a new pair of socks.

I abhor national party politics screwing up where I live.